As a matter of fact, the Lodi AVA has always grown a wider range of wine grapes than any other region in the U.S. Why? It is connected to Lodi’s history as a supplier to big production wineries. We wonder if you know, for instance, that Lodi grows more Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay than Napa and Sonoma Counties combined. On top of that, the big wineries have always asked Lodi’s growers to supply a large variety of “other grapes” for their blending purposes.

Today, of course, Lodi has also become known for its smaller, artisanal style wineries – there are over 80 Lodi based producers right now! – and many of these wineries have been taking advantage of the wide range of grapes at their disposal (especially since many of Lodi’s producers are, in fact, longtime growers-turned-winemakers). Hence, the bewildering variety of wines now being produced in Lodi.

So whether you’re into Zinfandel, or into “alternative” style wines made from cutting-edge grapes, ZinFest is definitely for you.

The following is a rundown on the wines that our ZinFest wineries are planning to pour. In reality, they’ll be bringing even more – well over 200 wines for your vinous pleasures. Wines listed with asterisks (*) will also be available for purchase in the ZinFest Wine Shoppe.

Since it all adds up to probably more than you can possibly taste, a good idea might be to prioritize the wines that interest you ahead of time. To help you prepare, some remarks on the wineries and their listed wines thus far:

Bokisch Vineyards | (209) 334-4338Owner/growers Markus and Liz Bokisch have found fame as California’s leading growers of Spanish grapes; and with over 10 vintages now under their belt, their own wines have come to epitomize all that is fresh, bold, imaginative, refined and right about Lodi’s wine regions. Stop by and see what all the fuss is about…
*2012 Albariño
*2010 Graciano
*2011 Rosado
*2010 Tempranillo

Delicato Family Vineyards | (877) 824-3600Ounce per ounce, you would be hard pressed to find a Zinfandel that delivers as much juicy varietal punch and precision as the Indelicato family’s Brazin bottlings, and their Gnarly Heads have set quality standards in their everyday price ranges.
2010 Brazin
2011 Gnarly Head Authentic Red
2012 Gnarly Head Pinot Grigio

Estate Crush | (209) 368-7595Lodi’s own “urban” custom crush winery produces wines for not only over 60 different clients, but also for their own label, representing fantastically high value and freshness (true Lodi hallmarks!). This year Estate Crush has also produced the 2013 ZinFest Commemorative label Zinfandel (a 2011 vintage) — be sure to take home your own bottling of red headed girl!
2011 Estate Crush Chardonnay
2010 Estate Crush Cabernet Sauvignon
2011 Estate Crush Rosė
*ZinFest 2013 Commemorative Old Vine Zinfandel (2011)

Fields Family Wines | (209) 327-6306Owner/winemaker/growers Ryan Sherman and Russ Fields are fanatical, hands-on artisanal producers. If you don’t like powerful yet elegantly polished wines, you won’t like Fields Family’s – but do not be a “crazy fool,” as Mr. T would say, and miss out on this impressive line-up:
*2011 Old Vine Zinfandel
2010 Old Vine Zinfandel
2012 Rosé
2012 White Cuvée

Harney Lane’s Kyle Lerner

Harmony Wynelands | (209) 369-4184“GMA” stands for Grenache-Mourvèdre-Alicante Bouschet: kick-butt, naked, deliciously pure and rambunctious red wine. For good time, stop by and say hello to the Hartzell family, who will be pouring their distinctive estate grown wines.
2011 GMA Rhone Blend
2011 Old Vine Zinfandel

Harney Lane Winery | (209) 365-1900This branch of the Mettler family, behind Harney Lane, has emerged as one of Lodi’s standard bearers: with ties to the land going back 110 years, they produce state-of-the-art wines of delirious intensity, genuine generosity, amazing balance and pinpoint poise – what today’s Lodi is all about!
*2012 Albariño
*2012 Rosé
*2010 Zinfandel
*2010 Tempranillo

Hux Vineyards | (209) 368-0116If you love an independent, micro-sized winery, you gotta love the work of owner/grower/winemaker Barbara Huecksteadt. She crafts only a barrel or two of each of her wines, which are always exhilarating experiences.
*2009 Petit Verdot
*2010 Roussanne
*2008 Souzão
*2009 Zinfandel

Kidder Family Winery | (209) 727-07You will find owner/growers Aaron and Linda Kidder pouring some of the most meticulously crafted wines in Lodi, including a Syrah that would restore anyone’s faith in this often overlooked grape, and a Tempranillo/Graciano Duet that soothes the soothes the soul, stimulates the mind, and ravishes the palate.
*2010 Syrah
*2010 Duet
*2012 Sauvignon Blanc

Klinker Brick Winery | 209-224-5156The Felten family personify modern-day Lodi: longtime growers, heroically farming some of the oldest and most venerated vines in the state, deciding to take matters into their own hand and produce wines under their own label. Their success, to put it succinctly, has been driven by the pure quality of their grapes and work – outstanding!
*2011 Farrah Syrah
*2011 Old Vine Zinfandel
*2012 Rosé
*2010 Brick & Mortar Red Blend

LangeTwins Family Winery & Vineyards | (209) 334-9780LangeTwins is owned and operated by the fourth and fifth generations of Langes, growing and producing delicious wines distinguished by both depth and restraint, adding up to the age-old quality known as “elegance” – something that may not be associated with “Lodi,” except by those who have already experienced LangeTwins wines. If you haven’t yet, it’s about time!
*2010 Malbec
*2010 Zinfandel
*2010 Caricature
*2011 Sauvignon Blanc

m2 Wines | (209) 339-1071Owner Layne Montgomery is the consummate small-batch winemaker: a devil when it comes to details, and a stickler when it comes to making sure that wines taste strongly of both the grape and terroir (that strong “sense of place” rarely found in today’s wine world, beset as it is by demands for uniformity or conformity). There’s nothing “conformist” about Mr. Montgomery or his wines!
*2011 Artist Series Zinfandel
*2011 Old Vine Zinfandel
*2011 Tormenta Tempranillo
N/V Ruby’s Muse Dessert Wine

Macchia | (209) 333-2600Tim and Lani Holdener are contemporary pioneers, and torch bearers, for single-vineyard bottlings in Lodi: they don’t just talk about reverence for the region’s unique plantings, they back it up by producing an amazing array of fantastic Zinfandels, Barberas as well as Sangioveses and Petite Sirahs that truly personify the land-rich and generous spirit of Lodi.
*2011 Delicious Barbera
*2010 Mischievous Zinfandel
*2011 Amorous Sangiovese
*2011 Outrageous Zinfandel

Maley Brothers | (209) 327-5597The Maleys have been farming grapes on Lodi’s west side for over 140 years, and their wines represent the crème de la crème of what they grow: velvety, deep, earthy yet elegant qualities, inimitably “Lodi.”
*2007 Zinfandel
*2010 Zinfandel
*2011 Petite Sirah

McCay Cellars | (209) 642-5756In recent years perhaps no Lodi winemaker has attracted as much media attention as Michael McCay. It definitely hasn’t been about the looks (that wasn’t him in The Bachelor – at least according to Linda McCay) – it really and truly has been all about the juice. McCay’s wines are primarily native yeast fermented and crafted more towards restrained (subtle oak, alcohol, tannin, etc.) styles. If this is for you, stop by to say hello…
*2009 Jupiter Zinfandel
*2012 Tres Blanc
*2009 Truluck’s Zinfandel
*2012 Rosé

Mettler Family Vineyards | (209) 369-3045The Mettlers are one of Lodi’s great farming families, producing estate grown wines under their own name take take a back seat to absolutely no others (winemaker Adam Mettler also happens to be the GM/head winemaker for Michael David Winery). One sip, and you will understand the depth that this family brings to Lodi.
2010 Cabernet Sauvignon
2010 Petite Sirah
2010 Zinfandel

Michael David Winery | (209) 368-7384Six generations of the Phillips family have driven this winery all the way to the top as, without a doubt, Lodi’s best known, most internationally acclaimed ultra-premium winery. From top to bottom, these are amazing wines, very “Lodi” in generosity, freshness and originality, yet as fine and elegant as any made in the U.S.
*2010 7 Deadly Zins
*2011 7 Heavenly Chards
*2012 Symphony
*2011 Earthquake Zinfandel
*2010 Petite Petit
2010 Lust Zinfandel
2011 6th Sense Syrah
2010 Freakshow Cab

Mettler family pouring at ZinFest

Mokelumne Glen Vineyards | (209) 369-5755Grower/owners Bob and Mary Lou Koth grow a mind-blowing 40 different grapes native to Germany or Austria. ZinFest is one of the few times they show their stuff, and you’ll be amazed and thankful for the opportunity to try them.
*2009 Gewürztraminer
*2009 Reserve Late Harvest Dreirebe
*2008 Late Harvest Kerner
*2009 Dornfelder

Oak Farm Vineyards | (209) 365-6565Come over and experience the wines of one of Lodi’s newest wineries, located on the historic site of the DeVries estate, originally built in 1864.
2011 Barbera
2012 Sauvignon Blanc
2012 Verdelho
2011 Zinfandel

Oak Ridge Winery | (209) 369-4758Oak Ridge is owned and run by multi-generational families now headed by Rudy Maggio and Don and Rocky Reynolds, and their schtick is honest, eminently drinkable wines that are also huge bangs for the buck. The bucks stop here!
*2009 OZV
*2011 3 Girls Chardonnay
*2011 Robert Reynolds Zin
*2010 Moss Roxx Zinfandel

Peirano Estate Vineyards | (209) 369-9463The 80 acres of tiny, own-rooted vines on this estate were originally planted by the enterprising Italian immigrant Giacomo Peirano in the 1890s, and the current heir to this incredible family legacy is Lance Randolph, who still tends to these plants with love – something you can taste in each and every Peirano wine (beginning with TheImmortal Zin – one of the finest in the state).
2011 The Immortal Zin
2010 The Other Red Blend
2010 “The Other White Blend
2009 The Unknown
2012 Chardonnay
2010 Sauvignon Blanc

Robert Lauchland Vineyards | (209) 747-1429Boutique production “grower-wines” are some of the most interesting things coming out of Lodi today, and Bob Lauchland is one of the region’s most respected growers. In short, really cool stuff:
*2011 Crazy Legs Old Vine Zinfandel
*2010 Jubilee Cabernet Sauvignon

St.Amant Winery | (209) 367-0646Owner/winemaker Stuart Spencer carries on the legacy of Tim Spencer, a legendary vintner that locals still speak of with awe. It also helps that Spencer still has exclusive access to Mohr-Fry Ranches’ “Marian’s” block – 112 year old vines that fellow winemakers still call the “mother of all Zinfandels.” Stop by and prepared to be awed…
*2011 Barbera
*2011 Mohr-Fry Ranch Old Vine Zinfandel
*2011 Speakeasy Red

St. Sophia | (209) 369-1851The most discriminating judges at competitions like California State Fair, Orange County Fair and American Fine Awards, as well as consumer panels at Consumer’s Wine Awards, have consistently bestowed Golds, Double-Golds, “Best of Class,” and Platinum awards on St. Sophia’s Zinfandels – Lodi at its best!
*2007 Zinfandel
*2008 Zinfandel
*2009 Zinfandel

Scotto Family Cellars | (209) 815-0700Although owning one of Lodi’s newest wineries (est. 2009), the Scottos trace their wine heritage to Salvatore Scotto, who in 1883 moved his family from the beatific island of Ischia (in Italy’s Bay of Naples) to the East Coast, where they produced and sold wines for over 100 years before coming out to Lodi. Stop by and say hello to 4th and 5th generation winemakers, Anthony Scotto II and Anthony Scotto III.
2009 Regio Moscato
2009 Regio Zinfandel
2010 Scotto Family Cellars Malbec
2009 Scotto Family Cellars Zinfandel

Stama Winery | (209) 727-3314The Kapiniaris family trace their winegrowing tradition as far back as five generations, in the vineyards of Southern Greece, and bottled their first vintage of Stama in 2005.
*2009 Merlot
*2007 Zany Zin
*2009 The Nymph Cabernet Sauvignon
*2012 Zinfandel Rosé

The Dancing Fox | (209) 366-2634Winemaker/owner Gregg Lewis has been cultivating his own vineyard in Lodi’s Clements Hills AVA since the late ‘90s, producing smooth, accessible wines that are as much fun as his colorful “wine country-fantasy” labels.
N.V. Firedance White
*2009 Petite Sirah
*2009 Red Zorro

Toasted Toad Cellars | (925) 234-6205The Werter family, who do everything at Toasted Toad, admit that they founded their winery “on incredible passion and a small dose of insanity.” Their mantra: “family, friends, food and fun” – to which you can add, “wines for everything from tuxedoes and little black dresses to picnics and hot tub parties.”
*N.V. Sapo Dourado
*2010 Toadilly Lickable Wine
*2011 Viognier Frizzante
*2010 Zinfandel

Van Ruiten Family Winery | (209) 334-5716Van Ruiten’s “new” winemaker Matt Ridge (since last June) has all the skills and experience worthy of the 800+ acres of wine grapes grown by the Van Ruiten family since 1952; including some of the region’s most pristinely grown, 50 to 100-year old Zinfandel and Carignane plantings.
2011 Glory Days Zinfandel
2010 Old Vine Zinfandel
2012 Zinfandela

Vicarmont Vineyards & Winery | (209) 481-338620 years ago today Vic and Carrie Mettler committed 40 acres of his Locust Tree Vineyard to Merlot – that “Marilyn Monroe” of grapes – and they continue to set the standard today: a sip of Vicarmont Merlot is like a plump, posh, happy landing on a chocolate bar. And their other wines are just as sumptuous!
*2011 Chardonnay
*2011 Merlot
*2010 Sauvignon Blanc
*2011 Zinfandel

Viñedos Aurora | (209) 810-0824It’s been barely a year since this winery’s first releases, which have been smash hits: sinewy, sensuous wines (like their blend of Tempranillo, Merlot and Petite Sirah, called Síntesis) grown by the four Anaya brothers (Victor, Ramon, Armando and Gerardo), and crafted by their talented nephew Gerardo Espinosa. Stop by to taste this incredible success story – a family following the footsteps of their tireless patriarch, Victor Anaya Rocha (who first came to the Delta from Michoacán, Mexico to work the fields in 1944).
*2010 Petite Sirah
*2010 Síntesis
*2011 Albariño